The animation was done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 120 people from over 20 countries working on the film.
In a 2022 interview with Animation Scoop, Peter Baynton detailed how one of the film's themes was represented visually: "We also talked about them as equals. That came through in how we arranged them on the screen. When the horse speaks to the fox (saying 'being honest is always interesting'), his head is down-level with the fox. He wasn't saying it from above him. When the boy thanks the fox for rescuing the mole, we wanted to make sure that when he scoots across, he remains level with the fox at that point. There isn't a hierarchy. They're all equals."
In 2019, Charlie Mackesy published an illustrated graphic book based on his sketches, which he posted on Instagram.
The animation team wanted to match this by using pencil ink for the characters, which had an intricate detailing, and watercolor-inspired texture in the background.
In a 2022 interview with Next Best Picture, Charlie Mackesy revealed how he worked with the animation team: "I only understood some of the complexities of animation. I had to learn, but I suppose what they were interested in from me was my instincts on things. Particularly, I'd say (with) the Mole. How was the Mole going to move? And I think one night at 3 a.m, I was watching something about penguins. Suddenly, I saw this penguin and how it rocked and moved, and I thought, 'Oh yeah.' So the next morning on Zoom, I said that's how the Mole should move across the screen. And so we were all sort of learning. And then I would work with the animators and say, 'Have you tried this or that?' Learning together and working it all out together."